Vegan World Champion Heavyweight Boxer Ready for Next Fight

Ahead of his upcoming fight on March 4th against Tony Bellew, the two-time heavyweight world champion boxer David Haye has given an interview to The Sun newspaper where he talked about his vegan diet.

Rather than meat and whey protein powder, an unwanted by-product from milk production, Haye prefers vegan protein sources like split pea, quinoa and brown rice. To those questioning how a vegan could be so strong, he points to the animal kingdom:

“People say, ‘Where do you get your strength from?’. I say, where does an ape get his strength from?

“He’s 20 times stronger than a human and doesn’t have a meat-based diet. They eat plants all day long. It’s a myth that you need meat for strength.

And:

“I’ve had a plant-based diet for three years.

“I feel better than ever, I look and feel younger.

“It started when I was injured and was researching the best diets to heal muscles. All roads kept leading back to a plant-based diet — and when you look at the horrible way animals are treated, that made it easier to switch.

Haye decided towards the end of 2014 to entirely remove all animal products from his diet. He's now keen to promote the vegan diet as not just a viable path for professional athletes, but the most effective diet for athletes too.

And you'll be glad to know Haye isn't just vegan for the health benefits. "I watched a TV documentary about how animals are farmed, killed and prepared for us to eat", he explained.

"I saw all those cows and pigs and realised I couldn’t be a part of it any more. It was horrible. I did some research to make sure I could still obtain enough protein to fight and, once satisfied that I could, I stopped. I’ll never go back."

Haye's last fight was on 21 May 2016 in London against Arnold "The Cobra" Gjergjaj, where he quickly put an end to Gjergjaj's unbeaten run.